Ohio Farm Bureau is opposed to Issue 2, which would authorize and regulate the cultivation, processing, sale, purchase, possession, home grow, and use of recreational marijuana by adults over the age of 21.
This decision, made by the Ohio Farm Bureau Board of Trustees, falls directly in line with the policies created through a grassroots process for Ohio’s largest farm organization.
“Maintaining a healthy, strong and vibrant workforce is a top priority for Ohio Farm Bureau as our members grow food, fiber and fuel for the world and contribute billions of dollars to our state’s economy,” said Adam Sharp, executive vice president of Ohio Farm Bureau. “The passage of Issue 2 would jeopardize not only the safety of farm and food workers, but the ability to keep employees on the payroll and fill the thousands of positions still needed to keep Ohio’s No. 1 industry moving in the right direction.”
The concerns for Ohio’s workforce due to the influence of recreational marijuana includes increased absenteeism, as well as a decrease in productivity and a negative impact on workplace safety.… Continue reading
Madi Layman Manager of Demand & Market Development for the Ohio Soybean Council talks with Dale about how biodiesel continues to add value to every bushel of soybeans grown.… Continue reading
Matt Reese of Ohio’s Country Journal joins Zach Parker in Crawford County for this manure application Cab Cam. His business, Zippy’s Manure Service, stays busy between custom hauling and application for hog and dairy farms.
By Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County Ohio State University Extension
As hay making season ends and hay feeding season approaches, it is time to remind everyone that feeds hay how important getting a hay test completed is for deciding how to feed your livestock this winter. A hay test will cost you far less than the cost of a single round bale. The results you get back will give you the information you need to decide what type of feed and how much you will need to purchase to keep your animals productive until good pasture is available to graze again.
If you have never done a hay test before, Extension is here to help you. We have tools you can borrow and personnel to help with consultation. Here are the steps of how to take a hay test.
Subsamples can be collected with a Hay Probe and a clean bucket or with your hands and large scissors.
A new Ohio law took effect in 2022 to protect farmers from late lease terminations after resources have already been invested into the next year’s crop. According to the new law, if an existing farm lease does not include a termination date or method, landowners are required to provide termination notice to the tenant by Sept. 1. While considered positive for Ohio agriculture, the measure does have implications for the timing of farmland auctions.
Devin Dye
Lima-based Dye Real Estate and Land Co. has a very busy late 2023 schedule with farm auctions, in part due to the new lease law.
“We have five auctions coming up between now and Thanksgiving. We’re going to be all over northwest Ohio and west central Ohio in Defiance County, Auglaize County, Hardin County, Putnam County, and Henry County and we’re having conversations with some more families about other auctions that we may add.… Continue reading
This summer was busy with the efforts of Ohioans in the state and around the world to cultivate relationships and build markets for domestic crop production.
Columbian wheat trade
“Will you continue to grow wheat in Ohio?” That was one of the questions asked by a trade team from Colombia that traveled to Ohio as part of a U.S. Wheat Associates trip in conjunction with the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association and the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff. Members of the trade group represented buyers that purchase 80% of the wheat imported into Colombia. They visited Northwest Ohio in August to see first-hand the quality of this year’s wheat crop and interact with different sectors of Ohio’s wheat industry. The group had the opportunity to tour the Anderson’s in Maumee, Mennel Milling in Fostoria, and Drewes Farms in Custar.
William Morales was one of the members of the Colombian group.… Continue reading
By Laura Temple, Soybean Research Information Network
New parents study pictures to determine if the baby inherited Mom’s eyes, Dad’s chin or Grandpa’s ears. Crop physiologists like Avat Shekoofa, associate professor of plant sciences for the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, rely on different technology to determine what traits get passed on to new soybean lines.
Shekoofa has been studying soybean varieties to identify characteristics that help them better tolerate drought conditions. Based on her previous research, University of Tennessee soybean breeders crossed proven drought-tolerant soybean cultivars with each other to see how those characteristics get passed on. The Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board continues to fund this research.
“The team crossed one of our public cultivars, Ellis, with other drought tolerant lines,” she explains. “We are testing the first generation of the crossed soybean lines for drought-tolerant characteristics and seeing a great response. So far, we’ve started studying 30 lines, and a little over 60% have carried drought-tolerant traits from the parent lines.”… Continue reading
By Ted Wiseman, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County
Depending on what part of the state or country you live in, this year has been another challenge with pastures and forages. Hay yields are all over the board as far as quantity and to date I am surprised of the few results that I have seen the quality. Many in my area were able to get first cutting of in great time this spring, but the quality has been surprisingly lower than expected. So as many finish up hay making, now is a good time to take inventory of what you have and take forage samples to determine what nutrient values are in the crop.
If you find yourself with low forages going into fall, some options may include utilizing land coming out of CRP contracts, corn stalks, cover crops or a hay field being converted into row crops. Fall is a great time to construct a new, repair existing or implement temporary fencing.… Continue reading
I had been saying the USDA feed number was off all year. They finally changed it to be more in line with the total animals on feed estimate the USDA has been using throughout 2023.
Harvested acres were not reduced in the October report, but yield was slightly lowered. It seems ear counts were high, but corn test weight was low.
With the yield reduction and increased feed usage, potential carryout next summer decreased 5%. Unfortunately, carryout is still estimated to be above two billion bushels, which leaves the stocks to use ratio very burdensome.
The USDA’s corn export estimate is still very aggressive, and with what we know today, that might be unattainable. U.S. corn delivered to Asia is priced 30 cents higher than Brazil’s corn. That means a corn rally will be difficult until the price differential comes more in line.
Most commercial facilities and end users emptied their bins during the inverse market this summer to increase profitability.… Continue reading
AgCredit — one of northern Ohio’s largest lenders for farmers, rural homeowners and agribusiness – launched their Feed the Farmer initiative this week. This is the third year they will be providing harvest meals to local farms as a way to thank farmers for the work they do year round. Now through October 31, 2023, you can nominate your own farm or another farm for a chance to win a meal delivered by AgCredit in November. Visit www.AgCredit.net/feed-farmer to enter.
AgCredit is a member of the nationwide Farm Credit System. For more information about the Association and its patronage dividend program, please visit www.AgCredit.net.… Continue reading
In this episode of the Ohio Ag Net Podcast, hosts Matt Reese of Ohio’s Country Journal and Dusty Sonnenburg of Ohio Ag Net talk with Rebekah Hardacre, the 2023 Ohio Fairs Queen. Rebekah is also a member of the Ohio Army National Guard. They talked about her reign as queen including the many fairs she attended throughout the summer. Her reign concludes at the upcoming Ohio Fair Managers Association Convention held each year in early January.
More in this week’s podcast:
Micah Mensing, GrowNextGen Ambassador: Micah talks with Dale about his path leading up to the GrowNextGen Ambassador program and where his career path has led him since then.
Evan Hahn, Farm Credit Mid-America: Dale talks with Evan about National Co-Op Month and the history behind Farm Credit. Evan also mentions all the different services and benefits Farm Credit offers its customers.
Farmers made significant row crop harvest progress ahead of late-week rains, according to Ben Torrance, State Statistician, USDA NASS, Ohio Field Office. Topsoil moisture conditions were rated 4% very short, 30% short, 61% adequate, and 5% surplus. Statewide, the average temperature for the week ending on Oct. 15 was 53.0 degrees, 1.0 degrees below normal. Weather stations recorded an average of 0.65 inches of precipitation, 0.09 inches above average. There were 5.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Oct. 15.
Eighty-six percent of corn was mature, and 17% was harvested. The moisture content of corn at the time of harvest was 26%. Corn for silage was 93% harvested. Ninety-five percent of soybeans were dropping leaves and 49% of soybeans were harvested. The moisture content of soybeans at harvest was 12%. Corn and soybean condition were 87 and 81% good to excellent, respectively. Third cuttings of other dry haywere 87% complete.… Continue reading
Each year, tens of thousands of FFA members across the United States flood the streets of Indianapolis, Ind. with the iconic “sea of blue” corduroy FFA jackets. It is hard to believe it was not even a hundred years ago that this look did not exist.
On Nov. 20, 1928, the “Future Farmers of America” was established in Kansas City, Mo., which subsequently led to the first-ever National FFA Convention being held there, too. There were 33 delegates from 18 states (Ohio included!) in attendance when Leslie Applegate of New Jersey was elected as the first National President.
In the last hundred years, what started off as a few farm boys sporting the blue and gold as the “Future Farmers of America” has since grown into a diverse organization that represents nearly 1 million members nationwide. In fact, in 1988, the Future Farmers of America changed its name to the “National FFA Organization” to reflect the growing diversity in agriculture we see today.… Continue reading
The members of Luckey Farmers, Inc. based in Woodville, and Ida Farmers Cooperative, based in Ida, Mich., have approved the merger of their cooperatives at each of their special meetings held Oct. 3, 2023. The effective date of the merger will be Feb. 1, 2024
After holding a series of informational meetings, both cooperative boards were pleased that the memberships approved the board’s recommendation for the merger.
“We are confident that together we will become an even stronger cooperative and be better positioned to improve our already strong portfolio of products and services that we offer,” said John Moore, Luckey Farmers board chairman. “Both cooperatives have employee teams that take pride in their work and will continue their strong culture of service and commitment to our customers.”
Each cooperative met their respective state cooperative law and individual bylaw requirements for a successful merger vote for lucky farmers the current bylaws state that a quorum necessary for any vote or other action by the members is at least 10% of the members in the association participating in person or by absentee vote.… Continue reading
Micah Mensing, former GrowNextGen Ambassador, discusses how his experiences with GrowNextGen helped lead to his career choice in agriculture.… Continue reading
In October, First Lady Jill Biden visited Outward Farms, a family-owned egg farm in Union County as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America tour. She also met students as a part of the Investing in America Workforce Hub efforts in Columbus.
“As a farm that always puts our ‘ladies (hens) first’, hosting First Lady Jill Biden at Outward Farms was an honor for me and our family, and the visit allowed us to discuss our shared commitment to education and the importance of creating learning and authenticity in every experience,” said Sandra Lausecker, president, CEO and founder of Outward Farms. “As third-generation egg farmers, my brother Daniel Lausecker and I build our values into all we do at Outward Farms and are deliberate about transparency and sustainability in all aspects of organic egg production. The opportunity to showcase our innovative approach to egg farming, feature an overview of our future Education Center, and share the incredible work that U.S.… Continue reading
The third week of the fall 2023 edition of Feeding Farmers in the Field finds Ohio Ag Net in Auglaize County at Heitz Family Farm for a discussion with Nick and Lisa Heitz, joined on camera by two family members Aubrey and Jeremy. Together, they discuss the operation, as well as their unique position of rebuilding their farm shop and grain leg after a storm took them out earlier this year.
Along with a broadcast from their operation, they won a free lunch at the farm and an assortment of other prizes thanks to 92.1 The Frog, as well as A.G. Boogher and Son, RRR Tire, Fertilizer Dealer Supply, North Star Hardware & Implement Co., Farm Credit Mid-America, VTF-Sunrise, Homan Inc., and Golden Harvest.… Continue reading
Rubber dandelions, Taraxacum kok-saghyz, the Kazakhstani cousin of our common dandelion, are still a focus of research and development at Ohio State University because they make high quality natural rubber in their roots. In the modern age, natural rubber continues to play a vital role in advanced economies, such as ours, making activities like driving, flying, and warfare possible. Yet, its remarkable significance often goes unnoticed due to its widespread use in our daily lives. In 2019, around 14 million metric tons of rubber were collected from rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis), native to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, through hand-tapping latex. When our supply chains were severely disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supplies of many materials upon which we depend were restricted. Some U.S. rubber companies resorted to flying in their supplies — I think no longer commodity priced! The need for U.S. self-sustainability is now in the public and political eye, and rubber dandelions can be farmed in Ohio both in conventional and controlled environment agriculture.… Continue reading
By Laura Temple, Soybean Research Information Network
New parents study pictures to determine if the baby inherited Mom’s eyes, Dad’s chin or Grandpa’s ears. Crop physiologists like Avat Shekoofa, associate professor of plant sciences for the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, rely on different technology to determine what traits get passed on to new soybean lines.
Shekoofa has been studying soybean varieties to identify characteristics that help them better tolerate drought conditions. Based on her previous research, University of Tennessee soybean breeders crossed proven drought-tolerant soybean cultivars with each other to see how those characteristics get passed on. The Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board continues to fund this research.
“The team crossed one of our public cultivars, Ellis, with other drought tolerant lines,” she explains. “We are testing the first generation of the crossed soybean lines for drought-tolerant characteristics and seeing a great response. So far, we’ve started studying 30 lines, and a little over 60% have carried drought-tolerant traits from the parent lines.”… Continue reading
